It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So before you buy or sell Air Transport Services Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATSG), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

What Is Insider Buying?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information.

Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.

Check out our latest analysis for Air Transport Services Group

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Air Transport Services Group

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by insider Robert Coretz for US$544k worth of shares, at about US$21.75 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of US$22.11. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. The good news for Air Transport Services Group share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price.

Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$1.6m for 78.88k shares. On the other hand they divested 15790 shares, for US$382k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Air Transport Services Group insiders. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

Air Transport Services Group is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Air Transport Services Group Insiders Are Selling The Stock

The last three months saw significant insider selling at Air Transport Services Group. Specifically, insiders ditched US$353k worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. Overall this makes us a bit cautious, but it's not the be all and end all.

Does Air Transport Services Group Boast High Insider Ownership?

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Insiders own 3.0% of Air Transport Services Group shares, worth about US$39m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders.

What Might The Insider Transactions At Air Transport Services Group Tell Us?

Insiders haven't bought Air Transport Services Group stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. In contrast, they appear keener if you look at the last twelve months. It's good to see insiders are shareholders. So we're happy enough to look past some selling. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

Of course Air Transport Services Group may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.